1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to an electricity supplying structure on motor vehicle sliding door and more particularly, to an electricity supplying structure on motor vehicle sliding door wherein a sliding block to which a door side wiring harness is secured engages slidably a guide rail provided on a motor vehicle sliding door so that a connecting position between the door side wiring harness and the body side wiring harness remains still when the sliding door is opened or closed.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various means for connecting a door the wiring harness provided for auxiliary units such as a power window motor, a door locking unit, a speaker, and the like installed in a sliding door of a motor vehicle to a body side (i.e. an electricity supply side) wiring harness have been provided, conventionally.
FIG. 16 shows, for an example, a prior art electricity supplying structure on motor vehicle sliding door disclosed in Japanese U. M. Reg. Application Laid-open No. 4-124555. Referring to FIG. 16, auxiliary units 102 in the sliding door 101 are connected to a wiring harness 104 through a controller 103, and the end of the wiring harness 104 is connected to a contact point 105 provided on the door front end portion. Another contact point 107 connected to a battery 109 through a wiring harness 108 is provided on the body 106. The contact point 107 is connected to the contact point 105 through a movable contact point (not shown) provided for dustproofing and waterproofing.
With respect to the above structure, however, electric connection is made only when the sliding door 101 is closed, and accordingly the auxiliary units installed thereon can not operate in case that the sliding door 101 opens even a little. And, the movable contact point (not shown), which causes a double contact points, increases contact resistance, thereby lowering contact reliability.
Also, Japanese U. M. Reg. Application Laid-open No. 5-28893 discloses another electricity supplying structure on building door (not shown), wherein a pair of tubular arms are linked with a lining axis, one of the arms is fixed to a building door, the other of the arms is fixed to a building, and an electric wire is put through the arms.
The above structure, however, cannot be applied to a motor vehicle sliding door which moves two-dimensionally or three-dimensionally on opening or closing.
In order to solve the above problems, other electricity supplying structures on motor vehicle sliding door shown in FIGS. 17A, 17B, 18A, and 18B are disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 7-222274.
In the structure shown in FIGS. 17A and 17B, a supporting bar 113 is provided along a guide rail 112 attached to a portion of a vehicle body 117 relative to a sliding door 111, and an electric wire (i.e. a wiring harness) 114 spirals on the supporting bar 113. One end of the electric wire 114 is connected to a speaker 116 installed in the sliding door 111 by way of a hinge 115 and the other end of the electric wire 114 is connected to an audio set (not shown) installed on the vehicle body 117. In a door-closed state of FIG. 17A the electric wire 114 extends along the supporting bar 113, and in a door-opened state of FIG. 17B the electric wire 114 is compressed.
And, in the structure shown in FIGS. 18A and 18B, a reel 120 capable of winding and releasing an electric wire (i.e. a wiring harness) 119 during opening-closing movement of a sliding door 118 is provided on a vehicle body 121. One end of the electric wire 119 is connected to a speaker 123 installed in the sliding door 119 by way of a hinge 122 and the other end of the electric wire 119 is connected to an audio set (not shown) installed on the vehicle body 121. In a door-closed state of FIG. 18A the electric wire 119 extends from the reel 120, and in a door-opened state of FIG. 18B the electric wire 119 is wound by the reel 120.
With respect to the structure shown in FIGS. 17A and 17B, however, the spiral electric wire 114 requires a longer electric wire, which causes a higher electric loss. And, a wiring harness having electric wires with a larger diameter or having a larger number of electric wires, which has a poor bending property and requires a larger accommodation space, can not be applied to this method.
And, with respect to the structure shown in FIGS. 18A and 18B, however, a complicated mechanism for preventing the electric wire 119 from twisting is required. And also, a wiring harness having electric wires with a larger diameter or having a larger number of electric wires, which has a poor bending property and requires a larger accommodation space, can not be applied to this method. Further, with respect to the structures shown in FIGS. 17A, 17B, 18A, and 18B, since the electric wires 114,119 are bent and extended iteratively, conductors of the electric wires 114,119 are likely to be damaged.
In view of the foregoing, an object of the present invention is to provide an electricity supplying structure on motor vehicle sliding door which can solve the above-described problems, wherein a slider, to which a door side wiring harness is secured, engages slidably a guide rail provided on a motor vehicle sliding door so that a connecting position between the door side wiring harness and the body side wiring harness remains still when the sliding door is opened or closed.
In order to achieve the above-described object, as a first aspect of the present invention, an electricity supplying structure on motor vehicle sliding door in accordance with the present invention includes: a sliding door; a guide rail provided on the sliding door; a slider to slidably engage the guide rail; and a wiring harness secured to the slider and extending to a vehicle body side; wherein a bent portion is formed on the wiring harness between the slider and the vehicle body side.
As a second aspect of the present invention, in the structure with the above first aspect, the electricity supplying structure further includes a wiring harness supporting guide provided over the guide rail for hanging the wiring harness from the wiring harness supporting guide toward the slider.
As a third aspect of the present invention, in the structure with the above second aspect, the electricity supplying structure further includes a reel to pull the slider in a single direction.
As a fourth aspect of the present invention, an electricity supplying structure on motor vehicle sliding door in accordance with the present invention includes: a sliding door; a guide rail provided on the sliding door; a slider to slidably engage the guide rail; a pair of linking arms being linked to each other, one end of the linking arms being connected to the slider and the other end of the linking arms being connected to the sliding door; and a wiring harness arranged by way of the pair of linking arms to the slider and extending to a vehicle body, wherein a bent portion is formed on the wiring harness between the slider and the vehicle body.
As a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the structure with the above fourth aspect, the pair of linking arms are arranged on an upper side of the guide rail.
As a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the structure with any one of the above aspects, the guide rail is a plate having a slit and the slider has a supporting axis to slide in the slit.
As a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the structure with either one of the above fourth and fifth aspects, the one of the pair of linking arms is connected to the slider by means of an axis portion and the axis portion engages the slit of the guide rail.
As an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the structure with any one of the above aspects, the electricity supplying structure further includes a coil member to be fitted on the bent portion of the wiring harness.
As a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the structure with the above eighth aspect, the coil member is arranged on each of both end portions of the bent portion.
As a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the structure with any one of the above aspects, the wiring harness is of a tough-rubber sheath cable.
As an eleventh aspect of the present invention, in the structure with any one of the above aspects, one end of the bent portion of the wiring harness is connected to a connector to be coupled with a mating connector secured to the vehicle body side.
According to the above-described structure of the present invention, the following advantages are provided.
(1) Since the slider remains substantially still relative to the vehicle body when the sliding door is opened or closed and simultaneously since the bent portion is provided on the wiring harness between the slider and the vehicle body, the wiring harness can smoothly respond to three-dimensional opening-closing movement of the sliding door, thereby preventing extension and shrinkage of the wiring harness and consequently preventing damage of the wiring harness. And, since length of the wiring harness can be shorter, an electric loss can be less.
(2) Since the structure of hanging the wiring harness from the wiring harness supporting guide to the slide is simple, a required space in the door thickness direction can be small, thereby enabling the present structure to be applied to the sliding door of a thin type.
(3) Since the slider is pulled by the reel and simultaneously receives resilience of the bent portion of the wiring harness, the slider can more securely remains substantially still relative to the vehicle body when the sliding door is opened or closed and also during a run of the vehicle, thereby preventing the wiring harness from swinging, slackening, wearing, making a noise, or the like, while realizing a simple structure.
(4) Since a pair of linking arms help the slider slide, the slider can smoothly move for remain itself still relative to the vehicle body, thereby protecting the bent portion of the wiring harness, while realizing a simple structure. And, since the wiring harness is supported by the linking arms, the wiring harness is prevented from hanging down and tangling when the sliding door is opened or closed, thereby protecting the wiring harness from wear due to contact and friction. Also, since the wiring harness bends integrally with the linking arms when the sliding door is opened or closed, the wiring harness can be bent smoothly.
(5) Since the linking arms are likely to open each other due to their own weight, the slider can be smoothly and securely shifted to the rear end side of the guide rail.
(6) Since the guide rail is a plate, the sliding door can be thin, and since the supporting axis of the slider slides in the slit, the slider can smoothly and securely move.
(7) The axis portion of one of the linking arms enables the one of the linking arms to smoothly pivot on the slider and also enables the slider to smoothly and securely slide along the guide rail.
(8) Since coil member is put around the bent portion of the wiring harness, the bent portion is protected from wear or the like, is kept in a smoothly bent shape, and is prevented from being folded or from winding caused by movement of the slider.
(9) Since the coil member is arranged on each of both end portions of the bent portion, the corresponding portions of the bent portion can be protected from wear or the like and simultaneously form-retaining effect of the bent portion can be improved.
(10) Since the tough-rubber sheath cable used as the wiring harness enables the wiring harness to have a completely circular cross-section, the wiring harness should have a uniform bending property in all directions, thereby facilitating arranging work thereof and enabling the wiring harness to have a larger number of electric wires for auxiliary units therein. And, the tough-rubber sheath cable has a good form-retaining property suitable for the bent portion and also can facilitate end-treating work thereof such as cutting, peeling, and pressure-welding to a terminal.